Infant sugar consumption at levels that could harm oral health, says dental charity

 By Caroline Scott-Thomas,12-Apr-2013

Over-consumption of juice and

 soft drinks at a young age could be 

putting kids' dental health at risk

New data on infants’ consumption of sugar suggests that more than a quarter of young children are at risk of poor oral health, according to the UK’s Dental Hygiene Foundation.

More than a quarter of children aged 12 to 18 months (26%) regularly consume fruit juices and soft drinks, according to a new report from the UK’s Department of Health (DoH), which includes survey data on the diets of children aged 4 to 18 months.

Fruit juice was consumed by 8% of children aged 4 to 6 months rising to 26% for those aged 12 to 18 months, the report found. Average daily intakes were 11g of juice for those aged 4 to 6 months, and 50g for those aged 12 to 18 months.

It also found that the proportions of children consuming full sugar soft drinks was very similar to those consuming juice, ranging from 6% to 26% across the age groups. However, soft drinks were consumed in larger amounts, with average daily intake of 43g for those aged 4 to 6 months and 158g for those aged 12 to 18 months.

Responding to the report, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation Dr Nigel Carter said: "The most important message to remember is it is not the amount of sugar children eat or drink, but the frequency of sugary foods and drinks in their diets.”

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